Ton of pride for Herbert

RICKI HERBERT has celebrated some special milestones in his coaching career and he will enjoy another on Wednesday night.

The 49-year-old, already the toast of New Zealand football after leading the All Whites to last year’s World Cup, has also done the business at club level and will take charge of a Hyundai A-League team for the 100th time when the Wellington Phoenix play Melbourne Victory at Westpac Stadium.

Herbert coached the ill-fated New Zealand Knights for the final five matches of that club’s 2006/07 campaign and has racked up 94 games in charge of the Phoenix since 2007/08.

In a strange twist, Melbourne Victory has been a constant factor in Herbert’s Hyundai A-League career.

His first match in charge of the Knights was against the Victory. His first match as Phoenix supremo was against Victory and now, 99 games later, Herbert will celebrate his ton against the Hyundai A-League’s most successful club.

“We’ve got the trifecta, haven’t we,” Herbert chuckled. “We lost the first one with the Knights (4-0) and drew the second with the Phoenix (2-2), so maybe we can go one better against them on Wednesday night.”

Herbert said he was proud of the achievements of the Phoenix, especially given that many pundits had predicted the death of professional football in New Zealand following the demise of the Knights in 2008.

“It does signal that football in New Zealand is good and stable and personally I’m very proud if it. To do it pretty much with one club, too, has been great and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Having been part of the group that started the club alongside (club chairman) Terry Serepisos and to still be here doing things is special – we’ll see how long that continues!”